Estre Joins Porsche Team Manthey for 6H Spa

Photo: John Dagys

Kevin Estre will join Porsche Team Manthey for next month’s Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, as part of a reshuffled lineup for the German manufacturer in the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

The McLaren factory driver will join the previously announced Sven Mueller in the No. 91 Porsche 911 RSR for the round, filling in for Michael Christensen and Patrick Pilet, who will be on TUDOR United SportsCar Championship duty that weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Estre, the 2013 Porsche German Carrera Cup Champion and 2012 Supercup Rookie-of-the-Year will be making his debut in a factory Porsche GTE car.

“The Porsche one-make cups paved my way to a professional racing career,” Estre said. “For this reason I’m extremely pleased that the Porsche Manthey team have put their trust in me to drive a 911 RSR at the WEC round in Spa.

“My aim is to do a perfect job as a substitute for the regular drivers and to earn as many points as possible towards the championship for Porsche on this fantastic race track.”

Estre will have a busy month ahead, as the Frenchman will also make his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut in an OAK Racing Ligier JS P2 Nissan, in addition to his full-season commitments in the Blancpain Sprint and Endurance Series, as well as Pirelli World Challenge.

Richard Lietz, meanwhile, will move from the No. 92 car to the sister No. 91 Porsche alongside Fred Makowiecki for the Belgian round, a weekend which will see a total of seven factory Porsches in action between its LMP1 and GTE-Pro/GT Le Mans programs on two continents.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John